Samia Rahman | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/profile/samiarahman
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Guardian Focus podcast: Is religion a force for good?http://www.theguardian.com/world/audio/2010/nov/21/focus-podcast-religion-force-good
AC Grayling, Evan Harris, Jon Cruddas, Cristina Odone and Samia Rahman debate the virtues of religion <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/audio/2010/nov/21/focus-podcast-religion-force-good">Continue reading...</a>ReligionJon CruddasChristopher HitchensIslamChristianityAtheismTony BlairWorld newsUK newsSun, 21 Nov 2010 00:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/audio/2010/nov/21/focus-podcast-religion-force-goodJTB Photo Communications, Inc. //AlamyWhy go to Venice or Paris when Canterbury is just around the corner? ... Canterbury cathedral. Photograph: JTB Photo Communications, Inc. //AlamyPresented by Anushka Asthana and produced by Phil Maynard2010-11-21T00:01:00ZMuslims must refuse to rise to EDL provocation | Samia Rahmanhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/may/29/muslims-must-refuse-rise-edl-demonstrations
By ignoring planned EDL demonstrations and looking toward dialogue to dispel myths, Muslims can facilitate cohesion<p>The <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/may/28/english-defence-league-guardian-investigation">Guardian's investigation into the English Defence League</a> (EDL) was a fascinating insight into the motivations and aims of the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2010/may/28/english-defence-league-uncovered">far-right anti-Islamic group</a>. Some of the comments by individuals justifying their <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/may/28/english-defence-league-protest-bnp">involvement with the EDL</a> were hardly a surprise to those of us used to the mythologising and half-truths that get bandied about every time Islam is discussed. The level of hate and fear has, sadly, become a typical reaction from some who will use any excuse to roll up their sleeves and get stuck into a spot of Muslim-bashing.</p><p>That familiar cry of &quot;we want our country back&quot; has been directed over centuries against the Jews, the Irish, African-Caribbeans, South Asians, eastern Europeans and so on. Many of these groups continue to bear the brunt of casual racism exposed by the Guardian piece but Islam seems to be firmly on the frontline.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/may/29/muslims-must-refuse-rise-edl-demonstrations">Continue reading...</a>The far rightIslamRace issuesReligionFacebookSat, 29 May 2010 08:00:03 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/may/29/muslims-must-refuse-rise-edl-demonstrationsChristopher Furlong/Getty ImagesOrganisations such as the English Defence League may be wrong in judging the political mood of the UK. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty ImagesChristopher Furlong/Getty ImagesMembers of The English Defence League hold a demonstration in Bolton's Victoria Square. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty ImagesSamia Rahman2010-05-29T08:00:03ZYoung and Muslim in Ecuador | Samia Rahmanhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/mar/23/muslims-ecuador
It's not the first place you'd imagine encountering young Muslim women. But Ecuador has its own confident community<p>A group of young women in hijab talk animatedly as they await the start of their weekly Islamic class. This is a scene that could easily be from a mosque in London, Cairo, Indonesia or New York. However, this is happening in <a href="http://www.quito.com.ec/index.php?lang=en" title="Quito">Quito</a>, the chatter is in Spanish and the ladies are all Ecuadorian.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/mar/23/muslims-ecuador">Continue reading...</a>EcuadorWorld newsIslamReligionAmericasTue, 23 Mar 2010 10:00:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/mar/23/muslims-ecuadorSamia Rahman2010-03-23T10:00:02ZSegregation in Bradford | Samia Rahmanhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/dec/21/bradford-islam-white-flight-segregation
Returning to my home town after 25 years away, I found a sad lack of political will to tackle racial and religious segregation<p>It's been a few weeks since I swapped my cosmopolitan London home for <a href="http://bit.ly/5c6H3b">Bradford</a>. Despite the fact that I was born here, I can't deny harbouring prejudices built up during a 25-year absence. Perhaps I even bought into the <a href="http://bit.ly/4SXf9g">Bradistan</a> mythology that envelops this northern industrial city, notorious for polarised Asian, predominantly Muslim, and white communities living in what is a bi-cultural rather than multicultural society.</p><p>Couple this with a patriarchal system of biraderi, which describes a system of allegiance determined by familial ties, practised by the Pakistani community. This unique social make-up has often made <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradford">Bradford</a> a ripe target for critics of multiculturalism who concentrate their concerns on the city's Muslim Asian population numbering 16%, seen as an insular immigrant community unwilling to integrate .</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/dec/21/bradford-islam-white-flight-segregation">Continue reading...</a>ReligionIslamBradfordChristianityBradfordMon, 21 Dec 2009 13:00:45 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/dec/21/bradford-islam-white-flight-segregationSamia Rahman2009-12-21T13:00:45ZMuslims, beyond the headlines | Samia Rahmanhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/dec/15/muslims-open-society-institute-europe
The Open Society Institute's report on Muslims in Europe paints a picture that we're not used to seeing in the papers<p>Of the various things to come out of the <a href="http://www.soros.org/initiatives/home/articles_publications/publications/muslims-europe-20091215" title="Open Society Insitute's report">Open Society Institute's report</a> on Muslim communities in Europe, including disturbing information about the level of discrimination they face, I'm not at all surprised to read that Muslims living in Britain appear to be the most patriotic. According to the research, on average 78% of Muslims in the UK consider themselves to be British, compared with 49% in France and 23% in Germany.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/dec/15/muslims-open-society-institute-europe">Continue reading...</a>IslamReligionWorld newsUK newsTue, 15 Dec 2009 12:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/dec/15/muslims-open-society-institute-europeSamia Rahman2009-12-15T12:00:00ZRamadan: a time to refocus | Samia Rahmanhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/aug/20/ramadan-muslims-fasting-reflection
Fasting may seem strange to non-Muslims but it is just one aspect of Ramadan, an important time of self-reflection<p><a href="http://www.ramadan.co.uk/" title="Ramadan">Ramadan</a> is just a few days away and I will be joining many of the 1.6 million <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/islam" title="Guardian: Islam">Muslims</a> in the UK preparing to refocus for four weeks.</p><p>Following the lunar calendar means that the hours of fasting will be longer than they have been for many years, which is definitely a challenging prospect. But the four weeks of self-discipline is actually one that I always look forward to.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/aug/20/ramadan-muslims-fasting-reflection">Continue reading...</a>ReligionIslamUK newsWorld newsRamadanThu, 20 Aug 2009 07:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/aug/20/ramadan-muslims-fasting-reflectionSamia Rahman2009-08-20T07:00:00ZA gay Muslim in EastEnders? Big deal | Samia Rahmanhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/may/31/eastenders-gay-muslim
An EastEnders storyline featuring a gay Muslim character is unlikely to shake the community, despite what some are predicting<p>When I first read that the BBC soap opera EastEnders was gearing up for a storyline involving a <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/may/28/eastenders-gay-love-affair" title="">Muslim man locking lips with a gay character</a> my first reaction was, who watches EastEnders anymore anyway and well, how about that for a sensationalist stunt to win a tired old soap some headlines while sending the rightwing tabloids into a frenzy at the gay-Muslim spectacle.</p><p></p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/may/31/eastenders-gay-muslim">Continue reading...</a>ReligionIslamUK newsMediaTelevisionEastEndersLGBT rightsSoap operaTelevision & radioSun, 31 May 2009 16:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/may/31/eastenders-gay-muslimSamia Rahman2009-05-31T16:00:00ZSamia Rahman: Polygamy is rare and unpopular in the Muslim worldhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/belief/2008/nov/21/islam-polygamy-do-not-want
Polygamy is not a live issue for Muslims in this country because almost nobody wants it<p>Rosa Freedman <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2008/nov/19/religion-islam">asks in her Cif article</a> whether polygamy has any place in English law. She also cites &quot;leading figure&quot; Sheikh Faiz ul-Aqtab Siddiqi as taking what she presents as the popular conservative position advocating the accommodation of polygamy in English law.</p><p>I have two objections to this view, firstly that there is any such popular view pushing for the legalisation of polygamy within the UK or beyond, and secondly, that Sheikh Siddiqui, if he is indeed calling for polygamy to be incorporated into English law, is at all representative of Muslims across the world. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/belief/2008/nov/21/islam-polygamy-do-not-want">Continue reading...</a>ReligionIslamFri, 21 Nov 2008 14:42:02 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/belief/2008/nov/21/islam-polygamy-do-not-wantSamia Rahman2008-11-21T14:42:02ZSamia Rahman: Racial and religious profiling is counterproductive, as Adam Khan knows only too well.http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/aug/29/islam.religion
Adam Khan has done nothing wrong – but he's struggling to convince the British authorities<p>Last week the Guardian <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/aug/20/uksecurity.terrorism1">uncovered a report</a> by MI5 suggesting there is no single pathway to Islamic extremism. What a surprise! And in a further deconstruction of preconceptions, the report found evidence that a well-established religious identity actually protects against violent radicalisation.<br /> <br />If this is the case, what are the implications for racial and religious profiling? The report clearly dismantles any assumptions that can be made about the identity, background and religiosity of a would-be terrorist. The UK's Muslim population is a mere 2.8% but is so ethnically diverse that the government could cynically use this report to sanction the continuing infringement of civil liberties of the entire population through ID cards, surveillance and so on.<br /> <br />The sounding the death knell for racial profiling is something to celebrate, but I wonder whether my optimism is premature. Adam Khan, 28, from North London also has his reservations, after repeatedly being stopped and interrogated under <a href="http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2002/20021945.htm">schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000</a> when trying to return to the UK.<br /> <br />Born in Enfield, London, Adam is of Malaysian Chinese and Pakistani heritage and describes himself as a practising Muslim of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sufism">Sufi</a> persuasion. He has no terrorist links, yet a sequence of tenuous coincidences brought him to the attention of MI5. After completing an MA in Middle Eastern studies, Adam visited Syria and Lebanon to work on his language skills, a perfectly routine journey that hundreds of Arabic language students from the UK undertake every year. He then spent a year working as a researcher for the Institute of Strategic Studies, a political thinktank in Islamabad. While he was in Pakistan he was flown by the Red Cross to Afghanistan to work with the international aid agency. <br /> <br />It was when he returned to the UK from Pakistan in July 2008 that Adam was first detained and held at Heathrow airport. Under Schedule 7 of the Terrorist Act, an individual can be detained for up to nine hours with recourse to a lawyer, but the interrogation will not be suspended in anticipation of the lawyer's arrival. Adam's DNA was taken and he was asked about his visits to Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria and Lebanon. He was also asked about his sense of Britishness and how he felt about the Queen. At best, the questioning was facile, at worst alienating. By the time he was allowed to leave, Adam was inconvenienced and insulted but glad it was all over, particularly as he knew of many others who, under similar circumstances had experienced much worse.<br /> <br />A couple of weeks later, Adam went to Berlin for a few days. Again, upon arriving back in the UK, at Luton airport, he was detained. This time he was less patient and demanded to know whether this would happen every time he travelled. He was pointedly told an option open to him was to work for MI5 and he should consider what they could offer him. He dismissed the suggestion outright.<br /> <br />Adam has enlisted the support of his MP and is now seeking the advice of his lawyer, who advised that the taking of DNA and the line of questioning directed at him was an abuse of power, as he has never been under suspicion of terrorist activities. The experience, and the anticipation of future interrogations, has left him bitter and unsettled. He said:</p><p>The ignorance of the officers was unbelievable. They make you feel you are a foreigner. They were constantly emphasising my connection to Pakistan and to the Islamic world, like they were saying 'You're not British'. You would think that in today's technological age, and the fact that they took my DNA they would have ruled me out and shouldn't need to harass me constantly.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/aug/29/islam.religion">Continue reading...</a>IslamReligionCounter-terrorism policyUK security and counter-terrorismPoliticsUK newsFri, 29 Aug 2008 10:00:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/aug/29/islam.religionSamia Rahman2008-08-29T10:00:00ZSamia Rahman: Changing the face of Muslim family lifehttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/aug/08/religion.islam
A new Islamic marriage contract sets aside cultural practices, giving women the rights they are due under sharia law<p>Tonight, at the <a href="http://www.thecitycircle.com/more.php?ann_id=143">City Circle</a>, the Muslim Institute will launch a radical <a href="http://www.muslimparliament.org.uk/Documentation/Muslim%20Marriage%20Contract.pdf">marriage contract (pdf)</a> it hopes will change the face of British Muslim family life.</p><p>Currently, the Islamic marriage ceremony (nikkah), performed by an imam in the presence of two witnesses, is not recognised by British law and often involves little or no paperwork.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/aug/08/religion.islam">Continue reading...</a>ReligionIslamGenderWomenDivorceIslamic financeSocietyRelationshipsFri, 08 Aug 2008 11:30:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/aug/08/religion.islamSamia Rahman2008-08-08T11:30:00ZThe biggest star in the Middle East is a Brithttp://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/apr/27/1
<p>With fresh-faced good looks and an air of self-possession, he seems the epitome of cool. A household name across Egypt and the Middle East, he is literally everywhere. Take a walk through the bustling streets of downtown Cairo and you are guaranteed to hear his name in the casual conversation of passersby. He smiles down from billboards and television screens. Newspapers and magazines track his every movement on their front pages. He is the face of Vodafone in the region and has a clean-cut image of wholesome family values to rival anything David Beckham ever had to offer. And what's more, he's British.</p><p>Singer Sami Yusuf, 25, has captured the imagination of the Middle East with his brand of nasheeds (Islamic songs) which he describes as &quot;a blend of eastern and western modes&quot;. Born and brought up in the UK, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, he travelled to Cairo two years ago with a group of childhood friends from London who run the Muslim media company, Awakening. Promoting Islam through literature, arts and music, the collective also produced the first ever Muslim comedy CD. &quot;Our aim was to learn Arabic,&quot; explains Yusuf of his relocation, &quot;and we chose Cairo because it is the internationally recognised source for Islamic knowledge and learning. It's also the music capital of the Arab world.&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/apr/27/1">Continue reading...</a>MusicCultureThu, 27 Apr 2006 10:41:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/apr/27/1Samia Rahman2006-04-27T10:41:00Z'There isn't a great chasm between British Muslims and British non-Muslims'http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/nov/30/islamandbritain11
Samia Rahman, 28, former deputy editor of Emel magazine, London<p>In the past, many imams didn't speak English or have a strong understanding of British culture. They didn't provide a very positive leadership over such issues as the rights of women and integration. Now, there are initiatives concerned with training British-born imams, for example at Leicester's Islamic Foundation. There is already a lot of goodwill and enthusiasm, but this needs to be combined with education.</p><p>Muslims must interact with non-Muslims. Although at times we may not share the same ideals, we are interested in the same issues - travel, education, health. If non-Muslims overcome their fear of the unknown, they'll find we're just normal! It is so important that we're not perceived as &quot;the other&quot;. There really isn't a great chasm between us. For example, Muslim women in Britain are an extremely empowered group.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/nov/30/islamandbritain11">Continue reading...</a>UK newsIslamWorld newsReligionTue, 30 Nov 2004 15:18:55 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/nov/30/islamandbritain11Samia Rahman2004-11-30T15:18:55ZLetters to Clark Countyhttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/oct/15/uselections2004.usa14
<p><b>&middot;</b> You may wonder why on earth your friends in Britain are telling you how to vote. I can understand how perplexed you must feel. Once again faced with the hyperbole of a US election, the rest of the world seems to be resounding to the chorus of &quot;Your vote counts!&quot;, and I can appreciate you may be feeling a touch cynical. After all, I suspect you never voted for Bush in the first place, or maybe you did but are now feeling a little misled. I would, too. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/oct/15/uselections2004.usa14">Continue reading...</a>US elections 2004US newsWorld newsUS politicsFri, 15 Oct 2004 11:39:08 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/oct/15/uselections2004.usa14Samia Rahman2004-10-15T11:39:08Z